Maureen Scheurkogel made good use of the Terrain Denali's power liftgate.

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

2016 GMC Terrain Denali

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

2016 GMC Terrain Denali

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

2016 GMC Terrain Denali

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

2016 GMC Terrain Denali

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

Maureen Scheurkogel and the refreshed 2016 GMC Terrain Denali.

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

GMC's refreshed Terrain has the goods to run with the best of the family haulers out there

by
Greg Williams | December 29, 2015

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The GMC Terrain is GM’s second-best-selling crossover in the showroom. Not only that, the Terrain also attracts the highest number of female buyers, at 45 per cent. The reason? GM says it’s because of the Terrain’s styling, updated for the 2016 model year with new front and rear fascias, and a power-dome hood design. Ruggedly handsome, anyone?

Calgary resident Maureen Scheurkogel spent a week with the newly freshened 2016 GMC Terrain AWD Denali – and she just might have been wooed by its charms.

“It’s a comforting looking vehicle.” Scheurkogel said of the Terrain. “I liked the shape of the grille, and it just looked like a safe vehicle that could handle whatever you threw at it.”

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The GMC Terrain was introduced late in 2009 as a midsize CUV for the 2010 model year. A Denali trim was announced for 2013, adding extra chrome, different wheels and, on the inside, wood trim. Along with the exterior updates for 2016, the Terrain’s interior now features a revised instrument cluster For 2016, GM facelifted the Terrain’s exterior, and also updated the interior with a revised instrument panel, and introduced a wider choice of fabrics and colours.

The Terrain is available in four different trims, including SLE-1 or SLE-2, SLT and Denali. All of them will seat five, and can be had in front- or all-wheel-drive configurations. The standard engine is a 2.4-litre Ecotec four-cylinder, while the optional 3.6-litre V6 that produces 301 horsepower and 272 lb.-ft. of torque. When equipped with the V6, the Terrain can tow up to 1,588 kilograms. Both engines, regardless of whether you pick front- or all-wheel-drive, are paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.

“I was immediately struck at how spacious it was inside,” Scheurkogel said of the $47,845 all-wheel-drive-equipped Terrain Denali tester. Base price is $42,365, but hers was equipped with the optional 3.6-litre engine that added $2,165 to the final price plus a few packages, such as the $430 trailer towing group.

“The wood trim on the steering wheel and the doors was a great touch that added some luxury appeal, and I liked the look of the instrument panel and how sensibly it was all laid out,” Scheurkogel said.

Growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, Scheurkogel spent many days as a young teenager operating some of the equipment. When she got her licence, the family’s Ford Galaxie allowed her some freedom, but she didn’t get her own vehicle until after she’d completed her education at the University of Calgary. She first bought a 1980 Toyota Camry and later, a 1990 Mazda Miata.

Currently she and her husband, Ron, have a 2008 Nissan Maxima and a 2008 Ford F-150. The Maxima is Scheurkogel’s main daily driver, while Ron uses the truck that’s equipped with a canopy. When they travel back to Saskatchewan every spring to help on the farm, they take the Ford and it hauls all manner of materials.

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Right now, they’re not looking to upgrade their vehicles, but when Scheurkogel does go shopping her top three buying considerations are safety, reliability and good value. Scheurkogel is five-foot-six and she said it was easy to get into the Summit White-painted Terrain, while the front jet-black leather covered bucket seat was immediately comfortable.

“There was plenty of headroom on my side of the vehicle,” Scheurkogel said. “But Ron, who’s six feet tall, found the passenger side a little tight in the headroom department. Controls, such as the lights and turn signals, were simple and nicely laid out, too.”

Scheurkogel found the 3.6-litre V6 responsive to throttle input and had more than enough power for city driving. On the highway north of Calgary, Scheurkogel put the Terrain through its paces and felt confident the V6 and its six-speed automatic were well-paired.

2016 GMC Terrain Denali

“Everything was whisper quiet, too,” she said of the Terrain’s cabin when moving at speed. “The suspension was great, and the vehicle felt well connected to the road while the steering was responsive in either a parking lot or on the road.”

She also said the Terrain didn’t feel long or awkward when attempting to manoeuvre the vehicle in tight parking situations, and cited the mirrors, rear view camera and lack of any blind spots as items that all helped in that regard. It was cold, icy and snowy during some of the time Scheurkogel drove, and she felt the all-wheel drive system easily hauled the Terrain wherever she wanted to go.

“We are often up in the mountains, either cross country or downhill skiing, and the Terrain feels like it could handle any blizzard or adverse driving conditions,” Scheurkogel said. “In fact, I wish I’d had the opportunity to take it up to the mountains loaded with skis or other gear, it would be an excellent vehicle for that.”

Maureen Scheurkogel made good use of the Terrain Denali’s power liftgate.

The power rear liftgate and folding rear seats were put to the test when Scheurkogel hauled a new apartment-sized dishwasher.

“We had the truck as backup and I wanted to see how the Terrain would handle the load,” she said. “Well, there wasn’t a problem at all.”

Scheurkogel took a few of her friends for a drive and they all found ample legroom front and back. The abundant cupholders went a long way and they all mentioned how deep and spacious the centre console was as a spot to safely stow a handbag.

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“I think the Terrain best suits a family that is growing and is involved in plenty of activities because there’s lots of room for gear or pets – you could haul anything,” she said. “I loved the vehicle, there were plenty of positives, and apart from the headroom for Ron, very few negatives.”

Driver’s Journal

Day One: As soon as I got settled, I was impressed with the interior; how spacious it was, the amount of legroom and the comfortable seats. The wood trim on the steering wheel and on the doors added a touch of luxury. Drove to work and the vehicle responded very well. I quickly became familiar with the radio and stereo system; it comes with Sirius satellite radio. Sound was great. Spent the day becoming familiar with the basics and some of the extra features.

Day Two: Snow fell overnight and the interior temperature gauge showed a chilly -5 ºC. The interior warmed quickly and so did the heated seats. Drove to work and in the evening had to go out for a meeting. When I got back to the vehicle, it was late and I noted that the interior light did not come on. It took me a little time to navigate the controls to find the light; a little hard to do in the dark. Nevertheless, all the dials and gauges light up with red illumination and they are easy to read.

Day Three: First thing in the morning, drove my husband to work and he commented on how comfortable the ride was for him. He said there are so many safety features. I ran some errands and did lots of shopping at a few malls around the city. The malls were crowded and with the “backup” camera feature it made parking so much easier. Backing up was stress-free. Put all my purchases in the back and I discovered to open and close the lift gate all I did was tap the door lightly. The rear has lots of room.

Day Four: Spent more time getting to know the features of the Terrain, including all of the functions in the Driver Information Centre. There are messages about how much air pressure is in the tires and remaining oil life, which gave me an estimate on the percentage of oil remaining. There were several messages I could access. I was impressed with this attention to detail.

2016 GMC Terrain Denali

Day Five: Drove to work and later on in the afternoon had to drive to a meeting in the north part of the city and drove on Deerfoot Trail. Got caught in rush hour traffic but I was confident as I moved from lane to lane easily. As I was driving, I had to stop quickly as there was an accident ahead and this vehicle responded really well.

Day Six: Enjoyed driving around the city running errands and shopping. In the afternoon, took a couple friends out for a drive and they were impressed. They commented on how comfortable and safe they felt, and we all enjoyed the extra coffee cup holders!

Day Seven: Beautiful sunny day and decided to go out of town for a drive. Had the cruise control on and the vehicle responded so well. To add sunshine, moved the cover of the sunroof and enjoyed the daylight. Enjoyed listening to music and on the steering wheel there is a music control button so I was able to access music easily while still keeping eyes on the road. The Terrain is a pleasure to drive on the highway because there’s so much visibility.